45 Movie Stars on TV

at .  Updated at .

The small screen is the new big screen.

With so many great TV shows out there, more and more movie stars are making the jump to what was previously considered a lesser medium.

But try telling that now to Viola Davis... or Matthew McConaghey... or Billy Bob Thornton... or any of the well-known names listed below.

Here's a rundown of actors and actresses you may have first known for their film roles; but who you now welcome into your living room on a weekly basis:

1. Justin Theroux

Theroux is dominating The Leftovers now, but formerly he could be seen quite frequently on the big screen, including films such as Mulholland Dr., American Psycho, Megamind and Wanderlust.

2. Colin Farrell

Before signing on for True Detective, Farrell had a 20 year cinema career, starring in such favorites as In Bruges, Minority Report, Alexander, Saving Mr. Banks and Winter's Tale.

3. Viola Davis

This isn't Davis' first television appearance at all, but she's better known for her movie roles in The Help, Ender's Game and Disturbia. It looks like she'll be one of the many successful actors to field both movies and TV.

4. Vince Vaughn

Vaughn signed on to True Detective after years of successfully traversing comedy blockbusters like Wedding Crashers, The Break-Up, Dodgeball, Old School and the movie that put him on the map, Swingers. He's so money.

5. Liev Schreiber

Schreiber was in the Scream series, A Walk on the Moon, The Sum of All Fears and Salt among many others, but he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his incredible performance as Ray Donovan for Showtime.

6. Rachel McAdams

McAdams has made a name for herself in high end romantic comedies, including Mean Girls, The Notebook and The Time Traveler's Wife, and she also starred in Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris.

7. Kevin Spacey

Spacey is ruthless in House of Cards, but his film career won him two Oscars, one for American Beauty and another for The Usual Suspects. Other noteworthy roles are Glengarry Glen Ross, A Time to Kill, L.A. Confidential, Se7en and The Shipping News.

8. Terrence Howard

Howard is a smash now on Empire (as well as a short stay on Wayward Pines), but his movie roles include parts in Crash, The Brave One, Iron Man, Prisoners and Lee Daniels The Butler.

9. Kathy Bates

Bates is another American Horror Story actor and Oscar winner known for Misery, A Home of Our Own, Dolores Claiborne, Titanic, Fried Green Tomatoes and Revolutionary Road.

10. Angela Bassett

Oscar nominee Bassett has taken up residence on American Horror Story, but she's known for films such as What's Love Got to Do With It, Malcolm X, Strange Days and How Stella Got Her Groove Back.

11. Matthew Modine

Modine is currently starring in TNT's Proof, but before that he was known for feature films Full Metal Jacket, Vision Quest, Memphis Belle, Pacific Heights, Fluke and The Dark Knight Rises.

12. Melissa McCarthy

Melissa McCarthy may have segued from TV star to movie star (she started in the movies, but we knew her here first!), but there is absolutely no doubt we have a mega movie star in our midst with hits such as Bridesmaids, Identity Thief, This is 40, St. Vincent, Spy and the upcoming Ghostbusters.

13. James Spader

James Spader may be in The Blacklist now, but his films include Endless Love, Pretty in Pink, Less Than Zero, Sex Lies and Videotape, Stargate and Secretary among others.

14. Jessica Lange

Two-time Oscar winner, Lange is on American Horror Story, but she is well-known for King Kong, Tootsie, Frances, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Blue Sky and Big Fish, just to name a handful.

15. Halle Berry

Extant star Berry won an Oscar for Monster's Ball and appeared in other films such as the X-Men franchise, Catwoman and Cloud Atlas.

16. Vera Farmiga

Bates Motel's Norma, Farmiga is a prolific movie actress. She's appeared in Autumn in New York, The Departed, The Conjuring and Up in The Air, for which she was nominated for an Oscar.

17. Josh Hartnett

Penny Dreadful actor Hartnett is known for Black Hawk Down, Pearl Harbor, Lucky Number Slevin and 30 Days of Night.

18. Juliette Lewis

Lewis is the only star to remain on Secrets and Lies into Season 2 (and had a brief stay on Wayward Pines). Prior to that, she was known for her movie roles, including those in Natural Born Killers, Christmas Vacation, What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Old School and Cold Creek Manor.

19. Jon Voight

Midnight Cowboy, Deliverance, The Champ -- some of the biggest movies in the last century starred Jon Voight. He's been nominated for four Oscars and won one for Coming Home. Now he's Mickey Donovan, and he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for the role and won the Golden Globe. He's not missing out by stepping back onto the small screen.

20. Patricia Arquette

Arquette won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Boyhood, so we're pretty lucky to have her on CSI: Cyber! Other films include A Nightmare on Elm Street, True Romance, Ed Wood, Stigmata, Little Nicky and Holes.

21. Eva Greene

Green, starring in Penny Dreadful, made a spash in Casino Royale, and has appeared in White Bird in a Blizzard and Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.

22. Jay Baruchel

Baruchel is a Man Seeking Woman on FX now, but previously he's been starring in big screen features such as Almost Famous, Million Dollar Baby, Knocked Up, Tropic Thunder, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, This Is the End and How to Train Your Dragon.

23. Laurence Fishburne

The red pill or the blue pill? Yep, that was Fishburne in The Matrix. He's also been in The Color Purple, Mystic River and was nominated for an Oscar for What's Love Got to Do With It.

24. Tony Goldwyn

Scandal's President has had a long movie career in films such as Ghost, The Pelican Brief, Nixon, Kiss the Girls, The Last Samuri and Divergent.

25. The Entire Cast of Wayward Pines

This upcoming Fox series brings Matt Dillon, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, Juliette Lewis and Toby Jones together under the watchful eye of M. Night Shaymalan. Only one of thost listed hasn't been nominated for an Oscar. Star power? You bet.

26. Ryan Phillippe

ABC is bringing Secrets and Lies to the small screen in 2015 and with it comes Phillippe, who has starred in I Know What You Did Last Summer, Flags of Our Fathers, Crash and The Lincoln Lawyer. He'll be joined by Oscar nominee Juliette Lewis.

27. Timothy Hutton

Hutton starred in Leverage for four years and will be back in American Crime. He won an Oscar for his role in Ordinary People and later starred in Taps, Beautiful Girls, The General's Daughter and Kinsey, among other features.

28. Craig Robinson

One of Seth Rogan's buddies, Robinson will star in Mr. Robinson. He's been in This is The End, Pineapple Express, Zach and Miri Make a Porno and Hot Tub Time Machine.

29. Josh Duhamel

Breaking Bad's Vince Gilligan is bringing Battle Creek to television, starring Duhamel who has starred in films such as Turistas, the Transformers franchise, When in Rome and Safe haven.

30. Téa Leoni

Before Madam Secretary, Leoni was a movie staple. Bad Boys, Deep Impact, Fun with Dick and Jane and Ghost Town were all favorites. She has a gift for humor, but can bring on the drama, too.

31. Daniel Stern

Stern can be found on Manhattan now, but his movies include Breaking Away, Diner, Home Alone, City Slickers, Very Bad Things and Whip It.

32. F. Murray Abraham

Before airing on both Homeland and The Good Wife, Abraham spent decades in the film business. He was in Scarface, won an Oscar for his role in Amadeus and was in Mimic and Th13teen Ghosts, among other features.

33. Scott Caan

Like his father before him, Caan had a prolific film career before TV and Hawaii Five-0. He starred in such movies as Enemy of the State, Varsity Blues, and Oceans Eleven (and Twelve and Thirteen).

34. Dominic West

West has starred in 28 Days, Rock Star, Chicago, Mona Lisa Smile, 300 and others. He's been in The Wire and is one of the four leads in The Affair on Showtime.

35. Hope Davis

Davis will star in NBC's spy thriller Allegiance, as well as Wayward Pines on Fox. She has previously starred in feature films Arlington Road, About Schmidt, The Weatherman and Real Steel.

36. Olivia Williams

Williams is calling Manhattan home, but her long movie career includes favorites such as Rushmore, The Sixth Sense, An Education, Hanna, Anna Karenina and The Last Days on Mars.

Wait! There's more Movie Stars on TV! Just click "Next" below:

Show Comments
Tag:
Photo Galleries
Shows:
How to Get Away with Murder, True Detective, The Following, American Horror Story, Two and a Half Men, Boardwalk Empire, House of Cards, Hannibal, black-ish, The Blacklist, Extant, Bates Motel, Fargo, Penny Dreadful, Red Band Society, Gracepoint, Scandal, Justified, Wayward Pines, Secrets and Lies, American Crime, Allegiance, Mr. Robinson, Battle Creek, Madam Secretary, Homeland, Hawaii Five-0, The Affair, Empire, Man Seeking Woman, Proof, The Leftovers, Manhattan, Mike & Molly, CSI: Cyber
Related Photos:
Photo Galleries Slideshows, How to Get Away with Murder Slideshows, True Detective Slideshows, The Following Slideshows, American Horror Story Slideshows, Two and a Half Men Slideshows, Boardwalk Empire Slideshows, House of Cards Slideshows, Hannibal Slideshows, black-ish Slideshows, The Blacklist Slideshows, Extant Slideshows, Bates Motel Slideshows, Fargo Slideshows, Penny Dreadful Slideshows, Red Band Society Slideshows, Gracepoint Slideshows, Scandal Slideshows, Justified Slideshows, Wayward Pines Slideshows, Secrets and Lies Slideshows, American Crime Slideshows, Battle Creek Slideshows, Madam Secretary Slideshows, Homeland Slideshows, Hawaii Five-0 Slideshows, The Affair Slideshows, Empire Slideshows, Man Seeking Woman Slideshows, Proof Slideshows, The Leftovers Slideshows, Manhattan Slideshows, Mike & Molly Slideshows, CSI: Cyber Slideshows
Related Post:
Created by:
Published:
Modified: